Farewell, My Lovely

    Farewell, My Lovely is a story about Philip Marlowe that was set up to find a woman by the name of Velma.  An ex-convict was looking for her, and while having met Marlowe,  killed a man in the club Velma worked for before she disappeared.  The story sets off from here and he continues to go through with trying to find Velma.
    Marlowe goes through several other endeavors to try and find information on Velma.  He meets the woman that was married to the man that was killed in the bar.  This women tells Marlowe that Velma is dead, but Marlowe is unconvinced This all leads to Marlowe being asked to help in handing over a ransom for a jade necklace by another woman by the name of Lindsay Marriot.  All of these women intertwine in the story someway, which all leads back to the case at hand.  Another murder takes place and Marlowe ends up finding Velma, alive, and under a new name. She had planned to kill Marlowe but it didn't actually happen, and in the end, she committed suicide after killing Malloy.  Marlowe finds out about her death and how her identity was revealed by the police.

Fairytale

Punch You in the Decision Maker

    A servant girl was sent on a journey by the Lying Queen to find a Sorceress to help cure her of her ill mindset.  Someone's life was filled with roads in which one had to make the decision to follow it, or stray from it. 

    Decisions were things that people had to make.  They were not something that were material or had any physical form.  Everyone had to make them throughout their lives, unless they had no mind of their own.  No opinion for themselves.  Much could be said for the small child that grew up listening very well to those around her.  She was a follower, it was all she knew.  To make a decision, no matter how much or little it would impact her life, she would not make one for herself.  This girl went by the name Lycia.

    Being indecisive didn't make her alienated, though.  She gravitated towards people, as people gravitated towards her.  The people she had met didn't even seem to find she was indecisive till some time later through their friendship.  The girl was asked many questions in her childhood by those of her family and friends. The girl sat there, motionless.

“I don't know,”  was her reply.

Those were her favorite words, and they worked well to answer any type of question thrown at her.  Though, this wasn't the only response given to those who asked her anything.  Sometimes she answered, “No,” when she was really saying, “Yes.”  It wasn't that she wanted to be confusing and indecisive, she just didn't want to impose anyone with her opinions or wants.  Even though this was true, the Lying Queen sent her on a road off to the side of her castle.  The road led to a sorceress who could cure her of her decision making dilemma.  The Lying Queen said it was the beginning of the servant's own decisions in life.  So the girl set out up the road to find the sorceress.

    With a small bag in tow, she walked along the dirt-ridden path, surrounded by plains.  She watched as she grew farther and farther from the castle that was her home.  There was no one walking around the area as far as the eye could see.  The path continued onwards in a straight manner, making the girl feel at ease.  What decision making was there in a straight road? Life was as simple as following a straight and narrow road to her. But it this happiness of her didn't last, for she approached a a fork in the road. She looked back at the road she had walked for all this time, and looked back at the fork in the road. Though, this time there was a small child sitting at the fork. All she had to say was this, “Which way?”  The servant girl looked at her with confusion and answered.

“I don't know.”

The young girl stood up. “Which way do you want to go?”

The Lycia just stared at the paths, then at the girl with pleading eyes.  “You must know which way the sorceress lives.  Which way is the right path? Please tell me.”

“That's for you to figure out.” The young girl sat down.  “Don't let other's make up your mind for you.”

The servant girl looked at the left path, and then at the right one.  They both looked the same, which could possibly be the right decision?  She chose the path based on which hand she wrote with, that would make things easier for her.  She pointed left, letting the small girl know her intentions.  The child just nodded.  Lycia continued on her way down the new path.  She only hoped that this was the right way.

    As she traveled, she began to wonder if her forced decision was the right one.  Couldn't the child sitting at the fork make that decision for her? She must have known the area better and chosen the right path to walk down, but she didn't.  Maybe this was part of the Lying Queen's wish for her to be more thoughtful of her own wants and needs.

    Lycia soon came upon a small house, the one the Lying Queen had previously described to her at the castle.  She was happy that her decision led to the destination she wanted.  She walked up to the front door and knocked a few times. A small voice came from inside the house telling her to enter.  Though, when she had a look at who was talking to her, she was shocked.  It was the young girl back at the fork in the road.  “W-why are you here?”

“I am the Sorceress of the Lying Queen's domain.  You have done well for yourself.”

“What do you mean?” The servant girl asked.

“No matter which way you chose, it would have led to my home.  The important part of the journey was that you made the decision on which direction to choose by yourself.”  The small child smiled.  “There was no one to rely on except yourself on this journey, so you could make the decision.”

    Lycia thought otherwise.  How could a small decision be that important to her? People had made them for her all her life.  She expressed her thoughts to the Sorceress.  She came all this way for her to cast a spell on her to cure her of this, but the Sorceress expressed that she had no powers.  She helped those who helped themselves. This made for no regrets for letting someone else make decisions in your life for you.  Lycia accepted the help, not even fully feeling that she had been given the choice of decision by accomplishing such a  simple task.  She bid farewell to the sorceress and left to return to her home at the castle. The Lying Queen will be happy to hear of the news.